University of Washington
Department of Scandinavian Studies

The Vikings: A History

(SCAND 370 / HSTAM 370)

(VLPA / I&S)

Fall Quarter, 2009
Time: 10:30 - 11:20
Room: THO 119
(5 credits)

Professor: Dr. Terje Leiren
Office: 318C Raitt Hall
Telephone: (206) 543-7233 / 543-0645
E-mail
Office hours: T 11:30-12:20 pm
and by appointment

Course Content


This is a lecture/discussion course on the history of the Vikings. (VLPA/I&S) Following a largely chronological sequence, but not rigidly bound by it, the class will examine the history of Scandinavia during the Viking Age--approx. A.D. 750 - A.D. 1100-- through the written and archeological records.

The first half of the course will focus on the Vikings at home in Scandinavia. This includes an examination of the origins of Viking society and culture in the pre-historic period, including settlement patterns, the establishment of the family farm, and the development of the Viking ship. We will also examine the political, social, and cultural expressions of Viking society, such as commercial expansion, military conflict, and religious expression. The structure and significance of the pre-Christian pagan religion of the Scandinavian North will also be examined in depth.

The second half of the course will focus on Viking expansion and the international contacts established through exploration, trading and raiding. We will examine the Viking presence in Russia, Byzantium, France, Germany, Britain, and follow the western expansion that took the Scandinavian Vikings to the North Sea islands of the Faroes, Shetland, Orkney, Iceland, Greenland and, eventually, North America.

Historically, Vikings have been romanticized by writers and musicians alike, such as Richard Wagner in the 19th century and "Hollywood" in the 20th century. What, if any, is the historical basis for some of these views? Who were these people we call "Vikings" and how did they live? What, for example, were the roles of family, law, art, and poetry in Viking society? To what extent can we be certain about aspects of Viking culture prior to the "Saga period" when the Icelanders wrote their remarkable literature in the 13th century? And, finally, what, if any, lasting influence did Vikings have on European and Western civilization?

In addition to the lectures, class time will include the viewing of some documentary videos and films about the Vikings.

Course Requirements


There will be a map quiz and two written exams (a mid-term and a final).
  1. The map quiz (to be held at the end of the second week of the quarter) will be a short (10-minute) exam in which students will demonstrate familiarity with the geography of the Viking world by locating and placing specific locations relevant to the Vikings and Viking history on a map.
  2. The first written exam (mid-term) will cover the lectures and reading assignments from the first half of the quarter.
  3. The final exam will focus on the lectures and reading assignments from the second half of the quarter.

Textbooks: